


The Irresistible Force Paradox

by MasonRust



Category: Thunderbirds
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Gen, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-03
Updated: 2015-11-03
Packaged: 2018-04-29 16:19:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5134424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MasonRust/pseuds/MasonRust
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is trouble in the Tracy household, Scott's having trouble coping and John has to straighten things out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Irresistible Force Paradox

By the time the hangar began to ring with the alarm’s signalling John’s approach, Virgil was already waiting at the door. The hangar was, and always had been, suspended in time. It was impossible to tell light or darkness from it’s belly, it’s walls constantly lit with fluorescent lighting that bathed the interior in an almost foreboding white. 

Sometimes Virgil lost track of the date when he was working, and came out expecting morning but greeted with evening, or vice versa. Today, Virgil knew that it was a quarter past eight, and John was needed an hour ago. Tapping his foot on the ground, Virgil couldn’t stop himself from getting as close to the door as he could before it hissed open and John stepped out, face serious and body tight. When he was younger, it used to scare him when John went quiet and straight, and if he was honest with himself it probably still did.   
“What happened?”  
John’s voice was flat, the order delivered in a tone Virgil had rarely heard since his father died. The resemblance between the second oldest and his father at that moment was chilling.   
“Scott got into an argument with Gordon and Alan. Came out of nowhere and ripped their heads off.”  
And now he was lurking in his room emanating aggression through the corridor.   
“Where are they?”  
“Pool.”  
John nodded; eyes flickering in the light, making the green light up like a torch.   
“I’ll take care of Scott.”  
“Need my help?”  
“No.”  
With that, he was off down the stairs, disappearing down the corridor and into the main house. Virgil started after him, pausing only to flick off the lights. No one would be going into the hangar again that evening.

By the time he made it into the living room, Gordon and Alan were sitting on the couch gazing up the corridor. The room was dark, the lights still off despite the absence of the sun and the air was sticky. Both of them were wrapped in towels as a concession to keeping the furniture clean. Not that it was helping.  
“Was that John?”  
“Yeah.”  
Gordon pursed his lips slightly and Alan didn’t speak. Neither of them looked at Virgil, and for a moment Virgil was struck by how young they looked. Crossing his arms, he nodded slightly trying to work out something they could occupy themselves with while John sorted out Scott.   
“Right, Alan, get the ice-cream, Gordon, didn’t you want to subject us to another of those terrible movies this evening?”  
That caught their attention, and a large grin split Gordon’s face as he processed the order. Both snapped up and offered him a joking ‘yessir’ before scampering off to complete their respective tasks. Virgil smiled also, but the sound of shouting from the corridor wiped it off his face. Taking one look around the dark living room, he jogged up the stairs towards Scott’s room.

The door was open a fraction, and Virgil felt almost guilty as he peeked through the opening. Scott was standing at his desk, palms flat against the surface, chair forgotten. His brother’s chest was heaving, and his eyes were filled with fury. John was standing next to him, legs spread and arms crossed. Virgil couldn’t see his face, but he didn’t need to. The irresistible force versus the immovable object, and there were no prizes for guessing who was which. The only question was which would win out, and Virgil would have felt sorry for Scott if he hadn’t been behaving like an asshole. The silence in the room was charged with aggression, and he was riveted despite knowing that Gordon and Alan would be back soon. Scott was staring into John’s eyes, and John was staring right back.   
“You don’t understand.”  
“What do I not understand?”  
“Just-“  
Scott slammed one of his hands into the table, making his jar of pens rattle. He hung his head down, and when it rose there was murder in his eyes.   
“Get the fuck out.”  
“Not until this is finished.”  
“This is fucking finished when I say it’s fucking finished.”  
Scott’s voice had dropped an octave, the words dark and boiling. John didn’t move a fraction.  
“You don’t get to make that call.”  
The syllables were even and measured, John’s voice cotton wool coating steel.   
“What, and you do?”  
“Seeing as you are incapable of making it yourself, yes I do.”  
“Oh fuck you asshole. Get off your fucking high horse. You’re never even here, you have no fucking idea!”  
Scott’s voice rose along with the rest of him, stepping closer to John, who didn’t budge.   
“You spent all that time on that fucking Station and yet you have the balls to come down here and tell me what to do!”  
“Scott-”  
“SHUT UP. JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP FOR 10 SECONDS.”  
Scott’s chest was heaving now, and Virgil noticed he was gripping the doorframe. Carefully he loosened his knuckles and looked down at his hands. They were still stained, and he looked back, just in time to see Scott’s fist travel towards John’s face. There was a long moment when the time slowed as Virgil watched the blow travel. And then, like something out of time, everything sped up and John had moved to the outside of Scott’s arm, one hand resting on top of his forearm and the other raised.   
Slowly, John pushed Scott’s arm downwards, until they were chest to chest and Scott had no more defense. There was something cold in the movement, and John gazed at the eldest.   
“Finished?”  
The question rung in the air, and Scott’s breath stuttered. Virgil felt his muscles lock, desperately wanting to do something but at the same time frozen in place. John’s shoulders were square, a steel rod through his spine and the floor, eyes emotionless steel. Scott took a heavy step back, and then another that dragged across the wooden floor. John stepped forwards, following Scott’s retreat. Scott dropped into the chair as he stared at John, who came to a stop inches from the chair. The angle meant Scott was looking upwards at the tower of Tracy as he spoke.  
“Now, are we finished here?”  
“John-“  
Scotts voice was a ghost of what it was before, the look on his face twisting as the last few moments sunk in. John stopped the apology with a hand, voice unforgiving.   
“You are going to go and apoligise to Alan and Gordon, and then we’re going to eat dinner and watch another of Gordon’s shitty horror movies and you’re going to smile when you are supposed to and everything will be alright. Am I clear?”  
Virgil was too busy watching John to notice the expression that crossed Scotts face before he dropped his head into his hands, shoulders shaking slightly. There was a pause and John’s body softened a fraction as he looked at Scott. After a long second he moved, placing one of his hands on Scott’s shoulder.   
“I can’t. I just can’t. I don’t know John, I just-“  
“Yes you can. That’s what you’ve been doing for the last year, and what you can keep doing.”  
“It’s not- I-“  
A sad look crossed John’s face as he crouched down to Scott’s level. Scott looked at him for a moment, and Virgil’s heart stuttered. There was something hopelessly lost in his eldest brothers face, something desperate and Virgil knew it was a look he shouldn’t have seen. It was a look for John, not for him. John gave Scott a small smile and squeezed his shoulder.   
“You are. You can. No-one else could, alright?”  
Virgil slipped away when John drew Scott into a hug, treading softly down the corridor knowing that he should never have watched the exchange. As he walked down the stairs, a frown between his brows Gordon looked up at him from the couch.  
“We’re ready.”  
Virgil forced the frown away, pinning a smile across his face while Scott’s words played over and over in his head, the expression on his face dancing before his eyes. With it, Virgil knew that he needed to keep to his role, keep the two organized and in line.   
“Fire it up.”  
He fell onto the couch next to Alan with a huff, taking the bowl of ice-cream out of his hands.   
“What is it this time?”  
“Critters.”  
“What?”  
Alan shrugged.   
“Don’t ask me.”  
Virgil turned his attention back to Gordon and his movie.

They were 10 minutes into the bizarre, shitty movie when Scott’s voice echoed from behind Virgil’s shoulder. He hadn’t noticed Scott come in, too drawn in by the sheer bizarreness of the movie in-front of him.   
“Gordon, where do you find this stuff?”  
The cackle was enough of a reply and Scott shook his head before moving closer. Alan didn’t look at him even when Scott sat down next to Virgil and him on the couch. Still eating his ice-cream, Virgil watched Scott out of the corner of his eyes.   
“Hey, I’m sorry.”  
It was almost inaudible, and Alan gave Scott a small smile.   
“It’s okay.”  
“What was that? Was that Scott … apoligising?”  
Gordon’s voice managed to cut over the sound of screaming as outer space fuzz balls devoured people.   
Scott looked up and shook his head.   
“I was going to apoligise to you too but..”  
“No, no, don’t let me stop you.”  
“Sorry Gordon.”  
“You’d better be. Now stop interrupting my movie.”  
Scott shook his head again and stole another bowl off the table. Virgil relaxed into the chair, almost everyone accounted for. And speak of the devil, John’s figure appeared at the top of the stairs. He sat down next to Scott as another small-town citizen as devoured with too much blood and screaming.   
“What the hell is this?”  
“Say’s the guy who watches Stingray.”  
“Ha.”  
John settled back, and met Virgil’s eyes over the others. He must have seen something, because he flashed Virgil a nod and a small smile. Satisfied that everything was all right, at least until the morning, Virgil tucked back into his melting ice cream. The light from the movie played over their faces, and Virgil was struck by how tired they all looked. With a nod to himself, he resolved to keep a tighter leash on Gordon and Alan. Scott had enough on his plate without their efforts. Order restored, Virgil resolved to enjoy the movie before the next klaxon came and shattered the brief moment of peace.


End file.
